The metal from which many products such, for example, as coiled springs, are formed comes in large diameter coils of metal wire or tape of great length. The high inertia of the raw coils and the inherent resilience of the metal makes feeding at high speeds in interrupted cycles difficult and hazardous. Flailing limbs of wire and rapidly rotating cages and carriers must be contained and controlled both to facilitate high-speed fabrication by the processing machines and to protect personnel. The present invention directs itself to effective solutions for these problems.